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JerkoftheMonth
11/03/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Haha, it does not really surprise me that Germans don't like 30 Rock. Having seen some weird (really really weird!) shit on their television, it seems like their comedy is when they really let loose from their rather reserved demeanor (think slapstick, but... weirder). The understated and ironic humour of 30 Rock isn't manic enough, I don't think. #teens
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bookling
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Ugh, that first story reminds me of when I was in high school and during Christmas break a bunch of my friends decided to have a huge party with 20+ people in a motel room, complete with alcohol and pot. They all got busted and arrested, but when we got back from break, the school had gotten wind of the incident and suspended all the kids involved and expelled a few. They were all stupid and deserved getting caught by the cops, but the school intervening was bullshit, and the kids whose parents could afford to lawyer up got off significantly easier. #teens
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cirocco
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
But Kelly Brownell from Yale University says, "by their logic, you can spray vitamins on a pile of leaves, and it will boost immunity."

I like how Brownell makes it sound as though no one in their right mind would ever eat a pile of leaves! "Leaves! That's not food! ...Wait, what? Sal... ad? Salad? Never heard of it. You mean like an egg-salad sandwich? That's not a pile of leaves, that's diced egg and mayo and bread. Get out of here with your crazy talk. Jeez louise. 'Salad.'" #teens
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saralegal21
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Dear Harvard: If you want to learn about the plight of urban life, maybe you should roll down here to Baltimore and see it in person instead of watching TV in a classroom. It's a pretty accurate show, but nothing on TV compares to seeing it live. #teens
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JerkoftheMonth
11/03/09

@saralegal21: Yeah, but also, analysing televisions shows helps not to understand the experience of urban life, but to understand better how it is represented, and this (The Wire) representation may be more accurate and complex than traditional urban settings on television and in film. #teens
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saralegal21
11/03/09

@JerkoftheMonth: It is a fairly accurate representation, to the point where I had to spread my Wire viewing out well past the run on HBO because it is hard to see something every day at work and then roll home and watch it on your television. But without having a basis of comparison, how does one know how accurate it really is? I'm guessing that most of the people who take this class aren't anyone who have experienced that kind of urban setting up close. But they will smugly think they understand the plight of inner city dwellers because they watched a TV show and took an Ivy League class about it. #teens
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mbot says Spock yeah!
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
The Wire is a totally legit subject for a seminar-long course. And the more people who see the show-- especially young people with all the advantages of Harvard at their disposal-- the better our country will be. #teens
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sandie75
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
I think the school is completely within their rights to enforce their "code of conduct" policy. These are not regular students, in which case this public school would not have anything to say about their conduct. When sign up for sports or band or whatever you agree to be a representative of your school and there is always a "code a conduct" policy. They and their parents signed this and should have expected this consequence.

That said, I think that barring the girls from sports, an activity which could do a lot to correct the obvious self-esteem issue they have, is non-productive. But I understand the school offered a plan by which they could continue in their sports if they would agree to 3 counseling sessions and apologize to the athletic board for breaking the conduct code. The girls and/or their parents refused and that's the part I really don't understand.

If I found my daughter did something like this, I would have her in counseling so fast her head would spin, and I would absolutely be trying to work with the positive authority figures in her life, like her teachers and coaches, to minimize both her embarassment and increase her self-esteem. The last thing I would do is allow her to be removed from a positive healthy activity and file a law suit that not only brings unnecessary attention to these inappropriate pictures, but also tries to argue that a 15 year old girl making quasi-porn with her friends is harmless 'self-expression'. #teens
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sportz.star
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Dear Public School,

While the law may, in some instances, give you power beyond your four walls, barring kids from positive, regulated activities for negative, unregulated mistakes is the sort of thing you wouldn't expect from an entity that's supposed to be looking out for kids' welfare.

Very truly yours,
sportz.star #teens
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Never_Nude
11/02/09

@sportz.star: As an attorney who has had more than one brush with school law: amen. The biggest problem with (some) schools is the failure to recognize the constitutional rights of their students. A famous case said, and I'm paraphrasing, a student's rights don't stop at the schoolhouse door. Secondly, schools tend to apply their own policies inconsistently and capriciously. "But that's how we've always done it!" is a favorite refrain. I think kids' welfare may be last on their list of concerns. Of course, there are also schools who don't do this, but they are the stuff myths are made of. #teens
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InABook
11/02/09

@Never_Nude: I love me some Tinker v. Des Moines. #teens
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Never_Nude
11/03/09

@InABook: Ah yes! I can never, ever remember case names. My husband? Like a freaking Westlaw search engine. He even remembers that case from contracts about foreseeability... Hadley v. Baxendale! Yeah, I had to go ask him. *shame* #teens
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denna
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Sigh, and I thought the class I'm taking next semester on Gender and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was awesome. Way to be a one-upper, Harvard. #teens
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midwesternmom
11/02/09

@denna: I'm taking Contemporary Feminism and Rock of Love. #teens
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emdy
11/02/09

@denna: I got no pop culture, but I got a class called Magic & Witchcraft [& Modernity]. #teens
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evility
11/02/09

@emdy: I've got a degree in popular culture, and about 4 months left of unemployment. Stay away! Stay away from the fun classes! #teens
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JerkoftheMonth
11/03/09

@evility: I have a degree in popular literature! I also have no job, but that's because I'm a grad student. #teens
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BuffySummers
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
I'm kind of inclined to agree with the girls that this isn't really the school's jurisdiction. It is, however, a huge fail on the part of their parents. The girls are sophomores in high school!

Parents of teenagers: How closely do you monitor your sons'/daughters' facebook and myspace pages? I'm all for respecting privacy (as in, not reading your kid's journal or fishing notes from her friends out of her trash) but this just seems like a safety issure more than anything else. #teens
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Never_Nude
11/02/09

@BuffySummers: As the mom of a teenage girl, now a graduate, let me just say that these sneaky-ass girls will do what they will do. I'm being a bit tongue-in-cheek, but you get the idea. If a kid wants to go to parties and get wasted and flash tittays and have her photo taken, nothing short of armed detention will stop her. And you can be the best parent in the world and still have an out-of-control teen. Just the way it goes. #teens
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ihateyourescalade
11/02/09

@Never_Nude: I am sure you are a good mom, but I disagree that parents can't control an out-of-control teen. It's called not letting her go to parties, cancelling her cell phone, cutting off her internet access and impounding her car. Maybe that won't stop her from flashing her t's completely, but it's a damn good start. #teens
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ChessieCat
11/02/09

@ihateyourescalade: Short of locking the child up (literally), how do you suggest preventing a teen from, say, attending a party? I mean, you can threaten grounding, take away the car, but still... I think if a tenn is hell-bent on going somewhere or doing something, they'll find a way. #teens
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ihateyourescalade
11/02/09

@ChessieCat: @w33kdays: I never snuck out. I probably lied to my parents, but not over anything particularly serious. I respected my parents, understood why they made the rules they made, felt they treated me fairly and expected a lot out of me, and knew I would disappoint them if I did something as vastly stupid as take photos of myself with phallic lollipops and post them on the Internet.

My parents did not lock me up. They did not beat me, threaten me or tie me to the radiator. They taught me to respect myself and behave appropriately. That's how you "control" a teenager.

I'm sorry if this sounds preachy. I don't mean it to be. It's just what happened to me. #teens
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wealhtheow
11/02/09

@ihateyourescalade: I actually don't see anything inappropriate with licking penis-pops.

Teens have sexual urges just like the rest of us. I think masturbation should be encouraged, and additionally, the "forbidden fruit" stigma/lure taken away from sex itself. #teens
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ihateyourescalade
11/03/09

@wealhtheow: If you read my comment again you will see that I didn't say penis-pops were inappropriate. I said photographing yourself performing blowjobs on them and posting those photos on the internet was stupid. That teens have sexual urges is not in question. #teens
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wealhtheow
11/03/09

@ihateyourescalade: You also called them "out of control". Posting pictures of oneself on the internet is totally normal behavior, not out of control at all. It's not a great idea, but pretty much everybody does it, to varying degrees of TMI. Everytime you talk about these teens, you're sarcastic and mean, and I really don't understand why. They didn't hurt anyone. They didn't shame anyone. They did nothing wrong. They posted pictures of themselves on the internet. Not illegal, not morally wrong, and if our culturee wasn't so creepy, not stupid. #teens
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TellAllYourFriends
11/03/09

@ihateyourescalade: AGREED! That's how my parents raised me, and I turned out just peachy. I remember the occational grounding in HS, and would have friends tell me "why don't you just leave?" I never did, because I respected my parents, and knew if I did "just leave" my life would be 50 times worse when I returned.

On a similar out-of-control teenager note, has anyone seen this "Worlds Strictest Parent's" show on MTV? I had the joy of catching it last night. As far as I could see, it was more like "Responsible Parenting." God forbid you punish a kid for talking back or acting disrespectful and out-of-line! Sooo strict. *eye roll* #teens
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ihateyourescalade
11/03/09

@wealhtheow: Never_Nude, to whom I was replying, said, "...you can be the best parent in the world and still have an out-of-control teen." She was talking about teens in general. I was referring to her comment. Sheesh. Please actually read my comments before chastizing me.
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Edited by ihateyourescalade at 11/03/09 2:09 PM ihateyourescalade was starred

ihateyourescalade
11/03/09

@TellAllYourFriends: Hearted. #teens
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bibomaco
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Students can do whatever they feel like doing during their spare time and outside school property. Since when can schools micromanage everyone's life? I just don't understand how and why the school felt compelled to get involved.
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yvanehtnioj
11/02/09

@bibomaco: A lot of student athletes (not just at religious schools) have to sign some kind of generalized "good behavior" pledge to get on the team. My assumption is that the school is relying on some variant of those pledges to punish the girls. Those pledges have to go, IMO. #teens
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kctomorrow
11/02/09

@bibomaco: lots of, specifically private, schools have codes of conducts they expect students to follow inside and outside of school. Some will have students sign "contracts" others just make the code of conduct available for students to read. Sometimes it seems like bullshit, sometimes it seems valid. (to me anyways) #teens
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bibomaco
11/02/09

@yvanehtnioj: I hereby pledge to let kids screw up on their own time, and in the event that they do unseemly things, I will let their parents intervene. I also acknowledge that I am not the moral compass of the world.

Bibs #teens
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yvanehtnioj
11/02/09

@bibomaco: For serious. #teens
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JerkoftheMonth
11/03/09

@kctomorrow: I went to highschool in Germany, where you can drink from age 16, and when our soccer team played in the American dept of defense league we had to sign conduct form saying that we wouldn't drink while participating in the league, even thought it was legal. It didn't really work, though. #teens
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Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Also! Man sues Axe of not having the promised 'Axe effect' and getting him no girls despite 7 years of use.

[www.watoday.com.au] #teens
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EKane
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
How did I know William J. Wilson would be the one teaching a class on The Wire? He means well... #teens
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Lymed
11/02/09

@EKane: I actually learned a tremendous amount from his class on race and the urban ghetto. Yes, we read his books. But we also read other books with other theories and when we left the classroom, we could take it all in and come to our own conclusions. #teens
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EKane
11/02/09

@Lymed: I don't doubt he's an awesome professor. I'm taking a race and public policy class with another prominent black sociologist and he's choc full of sociology related anecdotes- especially about Wilson. I just haven't formed a concrete opinion about ol' WJW. I wish he was still in Chicago though... *sigh* #teens
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Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Children with Down's Syndrome are some of the sweetest I have ever met, and interactions with them has been nothing but rewarding. My best friends sister has Down's, and I always said she would be the only person I would get on a bus for 4 hours for. And I did for her birthday, and it was one of the highlights of last summer. #teens
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Her Grace
11/02/09

@Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane: It's awesome that you did that, but please remember that people with Downs, or any disability, can be angels or assholes just like everyone else. While it's certainly a positive stereotype (like the stereotype that Asians are good at math), it's still harmful in the end. #teens
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Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane
11/02/09

@Her Grace: Please check your PM. #teens
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thebootyfaerie
11/02/09

@Her Grace: So true about that "people with disabilities can be assholes" thing.

People are people.

Also, it's Down Syndrome. "Downs" is outdated an un-PC.

(I don't want to be the PC police, but thought you'd like to know.) #teens
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Her Grace
11/02/09

@thebootyfaerie: Thank you! Very few of my kids at work (a kids psych hospital) have Down Syndrome, so I'm not on the up-and-up on the best wording (they're also super behind the times and still use MR, so I might never learn there). #teens
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tldr
11/03/09

@Her Grace: I appreciate the point you're making, but just FYI: Williams syndrome, for example, actually is characterized by "an unusually cheerful demeanor and ease with strangers" #teens
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Her Grace
11/03/09

@tldr: Yes, that's true. But the characteristics of a single syndrome (and even then, they're still fallible humans) can't be extrapolated to the wider disability community. #teens
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tldr
11/03/09

@Her Grace: Just an example that one syndrome actually is defined by their likeability. #teens
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thebootyfaerie
11/03/09

@Her Grace: Mental Retardation is still valid diagnostic terminology, as far as I know. Some people use Intellectual Disabilities, but MR is a subcategory of ID.

I work for an organization that provides services for people with intellectual disabilities, so I get the terminology pounded into my head on a regular basis. #teens
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anyordinaryjam
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Is there any way for leftovers to be formatted differently, perhaps in list format like some of the other regular columns are? Pretty please? Megaparagraphs of text are difficult to read. #teens
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theorchidthief
11/02/09

@anyordinaryjam: Agree. #teens
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dj_chick
11/02/09

@anyordinaryjam: I second this! There's always some damn good stuff in here, but it hurts the eyes. #teens
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Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane
11/02/09

@dj_chick: Something along the Dirt Bag lines would be much appreciated I think! #teens
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Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane
11/02/09

@theorchidthief: I think we should all email Anna, that's really the best way to let them know.
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Edited by Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane at 11/02/09 6:22 PM

Hana Maru
11/02/09

@anyordinaryjam: PLEASE! This is harder to read than Dirt Bag. #teens
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JessickerFletcher
11/02/09

In reply to Teens Sue Over Fallout From Sexy Pics • Harvard To Offer Class On The Wire
Of course 30 Rock's not gonna be popular in Germany if the broadcasters air it during the same timeslot as Interrogation Bear. #teens
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